When you gather a bunch of multi-talented artists and musicians with tons of rock 'n' roll credits to work on an album of new material, the challenge is often one of focus.

In the case of "The McGrath Project" and the band's eponymous debut album, group founder/leader and Santa Clarita resident Gary McGrath rounded up some all-star bandmates and players, but kept them focused on the set of original songs they recorded in just three days of sessions.

A two-time Grammy-winning producer and veteran singer/guitarist/songwriter/music teacher, McGrath enlisted bassist Tim Bogert (a Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame inductee as a member of Vanilla Fudge who's also played with Cactus, Rick Derringer, Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart and Bo Diddley), keyboardist/vocalist Teddy Zig Zag (Guns N' Roses) and drummer Bryan Head (Foreigner) as the core band.

McGrath's seasoned but reinvigorated crew came out of the studio with an album that's both tuneful and loud, and a fresh take on the classic rock sound.

Most of the dozen tracks would fit right in on any classic rock station that's not completely locked into the 1970s and still plays contemporary new music.

A few - "Where You Belong," "Bliss" and "The Chance" - are in fact scoring airplay on Internet radio, particularly on iRadioLA (Indie 104).

"The Chance" also includes a pair of hidden bonus tracks - an acoustic verison of "Tamela" and "XXX Malt Liquor" that's hilarious but unlikely to score much airplay.

If you like classic rock but are burned out on the same old stuff that gets played on the radio, "The McGrath Project" CD will be music to your ears.

For more info, visit www.myspace.com/themcgrathproject.